Chapter 72 Simulation Acceleration
At two o'clock in the morning, Lin Mo sat alone in his office.
Outside the window, all was silent; even the engine sounds of the patrol cars had vanished. The lights in the distant experimental building had been extinguished—Chen Xueming and the others had left unusually early tonight, likely exhausted by the failed experiment during the day.
Lin Mo, however, felt no sleepiness.
He stared at the design sketch of the solenoid on the computer screen, the events of the day replaying in his mind. Chen Xueming's questions, his frustration, the team's efforts—and that physical limit.
The principle of magnetic field separation was not wrong. The only error was that the parameters were insufficient.
He took a deep breath and summoned the system interface in his mind.
A translucent light screen emerged in the darkness, familiar text appearing line by line:
【Current research points: 540】
540 points. The last exchange for the complete Lithium Extraction from Seawater technology package cost 1,500, leaving this much. To optimize the magnetic field parameters now, he needed a system simulation.
He issued a command in his mind:
Open the simulation space and deduce the optimal parameters for magnetic field separation.
The system responded immediately:
【Simulation space opened. Consumption: 200 research points/hour. Please set the deduction target.】
Lin Mo thought for a moment and typed:
Target: Maximize lithium separation efficiency based on the existing device by optimizing magnetic field strength, pipeline design, flow rate, and other parameters. Constraints: Device size remains unchanged, energy consumption is reasonable, and engineering implementation is feasible.
The system began to run. Lin Mo felt a slight dizziness, and the scene before him instantly changed—it was as if he were in a virtual laboratory, with countless versions of the separation device running simultaneously before him.
Some pipes were long and thin, others short and thick; some magnetic fields were strong, others weak; some flow rates were fast, others slow. Every combination of parameters displayed separation efficiency figures on the screen.
0.1%, 0.5%, 1.2%, 3.8%...
Lin Mo stared at those numbers, his brow furrowed. Even the best result was only a few percent, far too far from practical use.
“No,” he murmured, “the direction is wrong.”
He re-entered the command:
Relax the magnetic field strength limit. Disregarding existing magnet capabilities, what is the theoretical upper limit?
The system reran. This time, the numbers on the screen began to soar.
5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, 80%...
When the magnetic field strength reached 10 Tesla, the separation efficiency jumped to 85%.
Lin Mo gasped.
10 Tesla. That was more than three times their current magnet strength.
But the efficiency had increased more than twenty-fold.
He continued to look down. When the magnetic field strength was further increased to 15 Tesla, the separation efficiency reached over 95%. But beyond that, marginal returns diminished; at 20 Tesla, it was only 97%.
Lin Mo stared at the data, calculating rapidly in his mind.
10 Tesla. This was the critical threshold.
Could current Room-Temperature Superconductivity materials achieve 10 Tesla? He remembered Wang Zhenguo saying that laboratory samples could already withstand magnetic fields above 5 Tesla, but engineering would still take time.
If they focused all their efforts, maybe in half a year, maybe a year, they could do it.
He looked at the other parameters again: the solenoid design was indeed effective, the optimal path length was about 50 times that of the existing pipe, and the flow rate needed to be reduced to one-tenth of the original. With this comprehensive approach, even if the magnetic field strength only increased to 5 Tesla, the separation efficiency could reach over 30%.
That was enough.
Lin Mo exited the simulation space and found fine beads of sweat on his forehead. The system notification sounded:
【Simulation ended. 200 research points consumed, 340 points remaining. Optimization plan generated and ready for export.】
He clicked export, and a detailed parameter report appeared on his computer desktop. Magnetic field strength, pipeline design, flow rate control, collection tank positioning... every detail had precise values.
Lin Mo looked at the report, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
He shut down the system, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long breath.
Outside the window, a sliver of white appeared on the eastern horizon. A new day was about to begin.
The next morning, Lin Mo called Chen Xueming to his office.
“Dr. Chen, have a seat.” Lin Mo pointed to a chair and pushed the report he had printed last night toward him. “Take a look at this.”
Chen Xueming took the report in confusion and looked down.
Page one: The relationship curve between magnetic field strength and separation efficiency. His brow furrowed slightly.
Page two: solenoid design parameters. His eyes began to light up.
Page three: Comprehensive optimization plan. His breathing grew rapid.
Turning to the last page, he looked up and stared at Lin Mo in disbelief:
“Teacher Lin, this is...”
Lin Mo smiled. “I couldn't sleep last night, so I looked up some materials and did some calculations. See if it makes sense.”
Chen Xueming looked through it again, then shook his head:
“Teacher Lin, this isn't something that can be done just by ‘looking up some materials.’ This plan is too detailed—magnetic field strength, pipe length, flow rate control—every parameter has a specific value, and they align perfectly with theoretical derivations.”
He stared at Lin Mo:
“How on earth did you do it?”
Lin Mo maintained his smile:
“Just consider it a stroke of luck; I happened to guess the right direction.”
Chen Xueming watched him for a few seconds, then sighed:
“Teacher Lin, you are a complete mystery.”
But he didn't press further, instead pointing to a number on the report:
“10 Tesla. We can't achieve this magnetic field strength with our current magnets.”
Lin Mo nodded. “I know. So the next priority is the engineering of Superconducting Magnets. Academician Wang is already working on it, and we can fully cooperate.”
Chen Xueming thought for a moment and said:
“If the magnets can reach 10 Tesla, according to this plan, what would the separation efficiency be?”
Lin Mo said, “Theoretically, it's over 85%. But there will be actual losses, so a conservative estimate is 70%.”
Chen Xueming's eyes lit up. “70%? That's far better than our current 0%.”
Lin Mo smiled:
“So, let's try this direction.”
Chen Xueming stood up and nodded solemnly:
“Alright. I'll go arrange it now. We'll start with the solenoid modification and simultaneously coordinate the magnet upgrade with Academician Wang's team.”
He walked to the door, then turned back to look at Lin Mo:
“Teacher Lin, thank you.”
Lin Mo waved his hand. “Don't mention it, it's all for the team.”
Chen Xueming pushed the door and left.
Lin Mo watched his back, a warm current rising in his heart.
This man was finally no longer the prickly thorn he used to be.
In the afternoon, Chen Xueming called a short meeting.
Li Xiao and Zhang Zhe both arrived. Chen Xueming had made several copies of the plan Lin Mo had given him and distributed them.
“Take a look,” he said, “this is the optimization plan Teacher Lin made last night.”
Li Xiao looked down and cried out, “Wow! 10 Tesla! 85% efficiency! If this can really be achieved...”
Zhang Zhe also showed a rare expression of surprise. “This solenoid design is far more reasonable than I thought.”
Chen Xueming nodded:
“Next, let's divide the tasks. Teacher Zhang, you'll be responsible for the solenoid material selection and processing. It needs to be resistant to seawater corrosion and able to adapt to a strong magnetic field environment.”
Zhang Zhe nodded. “Understood.”
“Li Xiao, you're responsible for the monitoring system upgrade. The data collection for the new device needs to be redesigned, especially the real-time correlation between magnetic field strength and separation efficiency.”
Li Xiao raised her hand. “Got it!”
“I'll be responsible for coordinating the magnet upgrade with Academician Wang's team,” Chen Xueming said. “I might need to head over there frequently, so you two keep an eye on things here at the laboratory.”
With the tasks assigned, the three of them began their work.
Chen Xueming stood before the whiteboard, looking at the solenoid design, a long-lost passion surging in his heart.
The first experiment failed. But so what?
The direction was found, the plan was ready, the team was here, and Lin Mo was here.
What was there to fear?
In the evening, Fang Lin suddenly came to the laboratory.
She found Lin Mo, her expression somewhat grave:
“Lin Mo, there's a situation I need to tell you about.”
Lin Mo's heart tightened. “What is it?”
Fang Lin lowered her voice:
“We've recently discovered several strangers in town. On the surface, they're tourists, but their behavior is suspicious. We suspect they might be George's people, scouting the area.”
Lin Mo's brow furrowed. “Is the target us?”
Fang Lin nodded. “Very likely. This project of yours has already attracted too much attention.”
She looked at Lin Mo:
“I will strengthen the perimeter security. You all need to be careful yourselves, especially when going out.”
Lin Mo nodded. “Understood.”
After Fang Lin left, Lin Mo stood by the window, looking at the lights of the distant town.
That man named George was finally going to act.
But it didn't matter.
They could overcome technical difficulties. These hidden threats would be no different.
He turned to look at the busy people in the laboratory—Chen Xueming was on the phone, Zhang Zhe was designing blueprints, Li Xiao was typing code, and Zhao Gang stood by the door, watching the outside vigilantly.
These people were all his comrades-in-arms.
Whether in the light or in the shadows, they would face it together.
Late at night, Chen Xueming was the last to leave the laboratory.
He turned off the lights, stood at the door, and took one last look back.
The device lay quietly in the darkness, awaiting tomorrow's modification and upgrade.
He thought of the plan Lin Mo had given him today, the number 10 Tesla, and the possible 70% separation efficiency.
Then he remembered the overwhelming frustration he felt when the first experiment failed.
At that time, he felt like the sky was falling. Only now did he realize that was just the beginning.
He pushed open the door and walked into the night.
In the distance, the silhouette of the Kunlun Mountains loomed in the moonlight like a silent barrier.
But behind the barrier lay a wider world.
He took a deep breath and walked toward the dormitory.
Tomorrow would be another new day.